Chapter One: Computers and Digital Basics

New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2011 Instructor’s Manual1 of 14

Computer Concepts

Chapter One: Computers and Digital Basics

A Guide to this Instructor’s Manual:

We have designed this Instructor’s Manual to supplement and enhance your teaching experience through classroom activities and a cohesive chapter summary.

This document is organized chronologically, using the same heading in bluethat you see in the textbook.Under each heading you will find (in order): Lecture Notes that summarize the section, Figures and Boxes found in the section (if any), Teacher Tips, Classroom Activities, and Lab Activities.Pay special attention to teaching tips, and activities geared towards quizzing your students, enhancing their critical thinking skills, and encouraging experimentation within the software.

In addition to this Instructor’s Manual, our Instructor’s Resources CD also contains PowerPoint Presentations, Test Banks, and other supplements to aid in your teaching experience.

For your students:

Our latest online feature, CourseCasts, is a library of weekly podcasts designed to keep your students up to date with the latest in technology news.Direct your students to where they can download the most recent CourseCast onto their mp3 player. Ken Baldauf, host of CourseCasts, is a faculty member of the Florida State University Computer Science Department where he is responsible for teaching technology classes to thousands of FSU students each year. Ken is an expert in the latest technology and sorts through and aggregates the most pertinent news and information for CourseCasts so your students can spend their time enjoying technology, rather than trying to figure it out. Open or close your lecture with a discussion based on the latest CourseCast.

Table of Contents

Chapter Objectives / 2
Section A: All Things Digital / 2
Section B: Digital Devices / 4
Section C: Digital Data Representation / 7
Section D: Digital Processing / 9
Section E: Password Security / 10
Glossary of Key Terms / 13

Chapter Objectives

Students will have mastered the material in Chapter One when they can answer the following questions:

New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2011 Instructor’s Manual1 of 14

How is technology fueling the digital revolution?
What is convergence and how does it apply to digital deviceswe use everyday?
In what ways does digital technology affect society?
How do computers work with input, output, processing, storage,and stored programs?
What’s the difference between an operating system and applicationsoftware?
How do personal computers differ from servers, mainframes,and supercomputers?
Are PDAs, portable players, and smartphones classified ascomputers?
Why are microcontrollers the computers no one sees?
Aren’t data and information the same thing?
What’s the difference between analog and digital?
How do digital devices use 1s and 0s to work with numbers,text, images, and sound?
Why is there so much jargon pertaining to bits and bytes?
What hardware components manipulate the bits that representdata?
Why do computers need programs?
How do a microprocessor’s ALU and control unit work?
How do hackers steal passwords?
How can I create secure passwords?

New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2011 Instructor’s Manual1 of 14

READING ASSIGNMENT FASTPOLL T/F QUESTIONS:

010100 The Web is just another name for the Internet. (Answer: False) (7)

010200 A computer’s operating system is a type of application software. (Answer: False) (16)

010300 Microcontrollers are special purpose microprocessors that can be embedded in devices such as refrigerators, cars, and washing machines. (Answer: True) (20)

010400 A bit is a binary digit, such as a 1 or 0. (Answer: True) (23)

010500 ASCII, EBCDIC, and Unicode are used to represent character data. (Answer: True) (25)

010600 A megabyte is 1024 bits. (Answer: False) (26)

010700 Microprocessors are a type of integrated circuit. (Answer: True) (27)

010800 C, COBOL, and Java are examples of programming languages. (Answer: True) (29)

010900 A compiler converts source code to object code. (Answer: True) (30)

011000 The list of codes for a microprocessor’s instruction set is called machine language. (Answer: True) (30)

011100 A microprocessor holds data in the interpreter register. (Answer: False) (31)

011200 A dictionary attack is a virus that hides out in the spelling checker for your word processing software. (Answer: False) (36)

SECTION A: ALL THINGS DIGITAL

SECTION A OPENER QUESTION:

012100 Computers and the digital revolution have changed our lives in many fundamental ways. If you were on the front lines of the digital revolution when computers were first developed to break codes and calculate missile trajectories, you were most likely living in what time period?

a. World War I

b. The roaring twenties

c. World War II

d. The 1960s

(Answer: c)

The Digital Revolution (4)

LECTURE NOTES

Familiarize students with basic definitions from the digital era.
Introduce blogs.
Discuss the impact blogs have had on national politics and/or the media.
Introduce online social networks, such as MySpace and Friendster.
Use iTunes as an example of a source for downloads while discussing this topic.

FIGURES

Figure 1-1, Figure 1-2, Figure 1-3, Figure 1-4, Figure 1-5, Figure 1-6

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Class Discussion: Digital devices have infiltrated almost every aspect of daily life. Ask students to think about a life without the digital devices they rely on, such as cell phones, PDAs, the computer. How would they accomplish regular tasks such as looking up a telephone number?

Convergence (8)

LECTURE NOTES

Explain why convergence seems to take so long.
List some implications of convergence for the consumer.
Students should be able to talk about the impact of convergence on convenience, functionality, and quality.

FIGURES

Figure 1-7

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Critical Thinking: The potential downside of convergence is quality. Ask students to consider this and come up with some examples of a potential decline in quality, but an increase in features in a device they’re familiar with.

TEACHER TIP

Waiting for convergence to occur can be frustrating for impatient consumers. Discuss a situation in which users are clamoring for a product, or for a product to have a feature set added to it, but the technology has not yet caught up with the demand. Cell phones, voice communication, and handheld computers are examples of technologies in convergence. Can students identify features or capabilities that are still lacking in these technologies? How have these technologies evolved and improved in recent years? Ask students to discuss features they would like to see in these devices?

Digital Society (10)

LECTURE NOTES

Explain the impact a digital society has on privacy.
Discuss RFID tags or GPS in this context.
Discuss the use of an anonymizer.
Students may not have previously given much thought to the digital divide (either inside the U.S. or globally), or to the impact of technology on economically depressed regions, as in the example of the Village Phone Project described on page 13.

FIGURES

Figure 1-8, Figure 1-9, Figure 1-10, Figure 1-11

TEACHER TIP

Students may not have given much thought to the impact of technology on economically depressed regions, as in the example of the Village Phone Project described on page 13. Ask students to hypothesize about some of the effects of globalization in countries with developed technologies versus those with economies that are just emerging. How might digital technology improve the quality of life in less technically developed countries? Could digital technology have negative effects on these cultures and economies?

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Quick Quiz:

The ______is an ongoing process of social, political, and economic change brought about by digital technology, such as computers and the Internet. (Answer: digital revolution.)
True/False: Bulletin boards are personal journals posted online for general public access. (Answer: False.)
______property refers to the ownership of certain types of information, ideas, or representations.

Digital
Intellectual
Online
Licensed

(Answer: B)

SECTION B: DIGITAL DEVICES

SECTION B OPENER QUESTION:

012200 Today, consumers can choose from a wide variety of digital devices, including personal computers, workstations, videogame consoles, smartphones, iPods, and PDAs. Knowing the strengths of these devices helps you make the right choice. What is the fundamental difference between videogame consoles, personal computers, and smartphones?

a. Video game consoles and smartphones are not be classified as computers because they don’t have stored program capabilities like real computers.

b. Videogame consoles and smartphones fill specialized niches and are not replacements for personal computers.

c. Personal computers and smartphones can be used to access the Internet, whereas videogame consoles cannot.

d. Personal computers and smartphones have better graphics than videogame consoles.

(Answer: b)

Computer Basics (14)

LECTURE NOTES

Review the basic terminology introduced in this section. Students need to be familiar with these terms to be able to discuss computers.
Go over the definition of a computer. Although the definition of computers given in this chapter is thorough and has stood the test of time, you might want your students to come up with their own definition of a computer.
Review the tasks of a computer.
Explain computer programs, data, input, and output.
Explain and demonstrate a file, if possible.

FIGURES

Figure 1-12, Figure 1-13

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Quick Quiz:

______is the result produced by a computer. (Answer: Output.)
______is an area of a computer that temporarily holds data waiting to be processed, stored, or outputted. (Answer: Memory.)
______refers to the symbols that represent facts, objects, and ideas. (Answer: Data.)

TEACHER TIP

Ask students to describe how they use computers in a normal day. List the examples on a whiteboard and ask students if using a computer has made carrying out daily or routine tasks more efficient and accurate.

LAB ACTIVITY

The New Perspectives Lab “Operating a Personal Computer” on page 46 deals with issues that relate to this section of the textbook. Using a projection device, go through the lab during class, or assign this lab for students to do on their own.

Personal Computers, Servers, Mainframes, and Supercomputers (16)

LECTURE NOTES

Explain that computers can be categorized according to function (PC vs. server), size (handheld computer vs. mainframe) or platform (Windows vs. Mac OS).
Review the categories of computers.

FIGURES

Figure 1-14, Figure 1-15, Figure 1-16, Figure 1-17, Figure 1-18

TEACHER TIP

Ask students what features and capabilities make a computer a computer. Ask students to debate the question of whether an Xbox or other video game console can be characterized as a computer. What about their cell phones? How often in a typical day do individuals encounter computers?

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Quick Quiz:

Wii, PlayStation, and Xbox are examples of what? (Answer: Videogame consoles.)
True or False: A computer falls into the supercomputer category if it is, at the time of construction, one of the largest computers in the world. (Answer: False.) Why?

PDAs, Smartphones, and Portable Media Players (19)

LECTURE NOTES

Discuss differences in design between personal computers and handheld computers.
Students should be able to describe differences between personal computers and handheld computers.
Discuss differences in processing power. Define what tasks are best performed by a handheld computer, a desktop PC, and a supercomputer.

FIGURES

Figure 1-19, Figure 1-20, Figure 1-21

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Class Discussion: Ask students if they use PDAs and how. Which ones seem to be the most popular with students?

Microcontrollers (20)

LECTURE NOTES

Discuss the ubiquity of the microcontroller. Ask students to consider how many devices contain microcontrollers.
Discuss the significance of microcontrollers.
Discuss the impact of microcontroller technology on machines and appliances.

FIGURES

Figure 1-22

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Class Discussion: Handheld computers do not use the same sort of input, processing, output, and storage components used by traditional desktop computers. Have students discuss the components of handheld devices and the role of each component. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the components in handheld devices vs. their corresponding components in a desktop computer. For example, how does a handheld computer’s touch screen compare to the keyboard of a desktop computer? List advantages and disadvantages of each type of component.
Quick Quiz:

A(n) ______is a special-purpose microprocessor that is built into the machine it controls. (Answer: microcontroller.)
True/False: Just about any personal computer, workstation, mainframe, or supercomputer can be configured to perform the work of a server. (Answer: True.)
Any software or digital device that requests data from a server is referred to as a(n) ______.

minicomputer
client
mainframe
terminal

(Answer: B)

SECTION C: DIGITAL DATA REPRESENTATION

SECTION C OPENER QUESTION:

012300 When you shop for digital devices, their capabilities are often touted in terms of speed and capacity. Suppose you’re shopping for a USB Flash drive. A friend recommends one that’s 64 GB. What does that mean?

It operates at 64 gigabits per second.
It holds 64 billion bytes of data.
It holds 64 million 0s and 1s to represent data.
It uses 64-bit ASCII code to hold data.

(Answer: b)

Data Representation Basics (22)

LECTURE NOTES

Explain the different meanings of “data” and “information” when using computers.
Discuss the use and purpose of codes, such as ASCII.

FIGURES

Figure 1-23

TEACHER TIP

Some students might think of “codes” as a method of secretly transmitting information. However, in computing, many codes (such as the ASCII code) simply change the form of the information—their purpose is not to hide the meaning of information.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Class Discussion: Ask students to compare and contrast information and data.

Representing Numbers, Text, and Pictures (23)

LECTURE NOTES

Discuss the representation of numbers, text, and pictures in a digital medium.
Discuss the role of computer hardware.
Explain that computers use the flow of electricity to “read” and “write” binary digits. 0 means that there is no current flow, and 1 means that the electrical current does flow.
Use Figure 1-24 to show basic coverage of binary numbers.
Present the concept of binary numbers. Give students an opportunity to practice some binary-decimal and decimal-binary conversions.
Distinguish between binary codes and binary numbers. Explain that binary codes use 0s and 1s to represent numbers, numerals, characters, symbols, and lists of things, while binary numbers use 0s and 1s to represent a numeric quantity, and can be converted to decimal numbers.
Review ASCII, EBCDIC, and Unicode.

FIGURES

Figure 1-24, Figure 1-25, Figure 1-26, Figure 1-27, Figure 1-28

TEACHER TIP

You can present the rudiments of number theory in base 10 and base 2. Give examples of how you convert from base 2 to base 10; and from base 10 to base 2. Use a car odometer as an example. Ask students what happens when the odometer reaches 10?The same answer will apply to binary.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Assign a Project: Ask students to write a short paragraph explaining the binary number system and where it might be used. What professions would need to be concerned with binary numbers and why?

LAB ACTIVITY

The New Perspectives Lab “Working with Binary Numbers” on page 46 deals with issues that relate to this section of the textbook. Go through the lab during class time if you have a computer with a projection device, or assign this lab for students to do on their own.

Quantifying Bits and Bytes (26)

LECTURE NOTES

Help students understand the terms and abbreviations used in describing digital devices.
Use Figure 1-29 to review what the prefixes kilo-, mega-, and giga- mean.

FIGURES

Figure 1-29

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Quick Quiz:

What isthe appropriate term for each of the following:
1,024 bits (Answer: kilobyte.)
1,048,576 bytes (Answer:megabyte.)
One billion bytes (Answer: gigabyte.)

Circuits and Chips (27)

LECTURE NOTES

Explain that bits take the form of electrical pulses.
Explain that the terms computer chip, microchip, and chip all refer to integrated circuits.
Make sure students understand that the black ceramic case is not a computer chip. The chip is inside the black case.

FIGURES

Figure 1-30, Figure 1-31, Figure 1-32

TEACHER TIP

If possible, open a real computer case, and then remove and pass around some of the key components such as a video card, disk drive, and ribbon cables. Ask the students to identify these objects. Once they have been handled, ask a couple students to place the components back into the case.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Group Activity: Divide students into groups. Let students take apart some computers themselves. Give students a screwdriver and help them disassemble and then reassemble a computer (usually an old or broken one). Student groups of four work well, but make sure that each group member has an opportunity to wield the screwdriver. (Note: You may also do this exercise with an old SmartPhone or PDA.)
Quick Quiz:

A(n) ______is a super-thin slide of semiconducting material packed with microscopic circuit elements, such as wires, transistors, capacitors, logic gates, and resistors. (Answer: integrated circuit, IC.)
True/False: Character data is composed of letters, symbols, and numerals that can be used in arithmetic operations. (Answer: False.)
A prefix which refers to a million bytes of storage is ______.

New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2011 Instructor’s Manual1 of 14

kilo-
giga-
mega-
tera-

New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2011 Instructor’s Manual1 of 14

(Answer: c.)

SECTION D: DIGITAL PROCESSING

SECTION D OPENER QUESTION:

012400 Programmers write computer programs for word processing, displaying photos, playing music, and showing movies. What programmers write, however, is not what a computer actually processes. Why is this the case?

Because programmers usually write programs using high-level programming languages that have to be converted into machine language that computers can work with.
Because programs are basically outlines that programmers have to fill out using op codes.
Because high-level languages are too detailed for computers to process, so programs written in these languages have to be simplified.
Because computer programmers make too many errors for programs to run successfully.

(Answer: a)